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Free legal help available to Tennesseans

Free civil legal help will be made available to Tennesseans in the coming weeks through an initiative by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission.

Legal clinics, expungement clinics and educational events are planned across the state, where attendees can get legal questions answered free by a pro bono attorney. Many clinics will be held April 1, a day dubbed #Help4TNDay through the initiative.

More than 1.2 million Tennesseans are indigent, finding it difficult to get legal help in civil matters.

“Ensuring fair access to justice by providing legal advice to those Tennesseans who otherwise cannot afford legal representation in civil matters is the primary focus of this initiative,” Tennessee Supreme Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Bivins said. “Through the civil legal clinics, the citizens of our state will have a convenient place to go to get answers to their legal questions.”

All five Tennessee Supreme Court justices kicked off #HELP4TNDay events March 21 in Nashville, Memphis, Jackson, Chattanooga and Knoxville.

A complete list of events can be found online at www.help4tn.org. Clinics will be held in Nashville and Franklin. Pro bono attorneys can email help4tnday@tncourts.gov to volunteer at an event.

The awareness campaign is a joint effort by the Tennessee Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission, the Administrative Office of the Courts, Tennessee Alliance for Legal Services and the Tennessee Bar Association.